The Greek Community

When looking at the student body on a college campus, what distinct communities exist? For the most part, student communities all look the same except for one, Greek life. No matter what they are doing or where they are at the time, members of a fraternity or a sorority are instantly recognized as being part of Greek Life. But what makes a member of Greek Life, seem so different from any other ordinary student. I decided that since I am in the process of becoming a part of Greek Life, I would try to find out what makes a fraternity a unique discourse community. This paper was written during the time when I was not a full member of Sigma Phi Epsilon and had to watch as a mere outsider, going through the Rush process. I want to know what Sigma Phi Epsilon is all about before becoming member. Whenever I am walking to class on campus, I can always tell when I see a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon. That is because they love to where Greek Letters. Every fraternity gets its name from the Greek alphabet. Sigma, Phi, and Epsilon are all Greek letters. So what members of fraternities like to do is make shirts and jackets that have the three letters stitched on somehow. This is like a police uniform or a sports jersey but for fraternities. Only members of a fraternity are allowed to wear that fraternity's letters thus ensuring that they are not given a bad reputation by an imposter. Not only are they recognizable for the letters but also members of Sigma Phi Epsilon will often stick together in groups whenever they are attending an event. They eat lunch together, go to the movies together, workout together etc... The third floor of the library is known for being used primarily by Greek Life, and sure enough, every member of Sigma Phi Epsilon who is at the library will be sitting at one table on the third floor. They stick together almost like a wolf pack. Just like in a pack, there is a leader as well as many other leadership roles. They have the E-Board, which consists of positions like chapter president and social chair. There is also a Standards Board that makes sure all members stay out of trouble. They use a democratic system of voting to appoint members to these positions for a semester long term. It very much resembles the political system we have in the United States. Older members are given status and members who hold elected positions are given even more. Of course it is the older members who usually hold the positions. This system is not just for show, however. This system is responsible for keeping the fraternity organized and running efficiently so the fraternity can stay active on campus. Being apart of the fraternity is about more than the interactions between members. A fraternity must meet certain requirements in order to remain on a college campus. For one, they have to perform community service hours. Members of Sigma Phi Epsilon coordinate with each other in order to participate in fundraising events and charity events together. They must have an accumulative GPA that exceeds the requirements set by UNC Charlotte in order to keep their charter. The required GPA to be a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon is 2.75. Which is more than the school has set. A fraternity must also have a certain number of members every semester, which means that a portion of their time must be spent recruiting new members. In order to gain new members Sigma Phi Epsilon holds recruiting events for a few weeks at the beginning of the semester, called Rush. The events range from barbeques on campus to dinner at Bikini’s. There are usually several members at the events and five to ten visitors who are considering joining (me). The members all act outgoing and friendly in order to make the visitor feel comfortable. The visitor gets to ask questions to the members in order to figure out if they would want to join. I spoke to Austin Tinsley in order to gain an insider’s perspective on the fraternity. He told me that the main reason he joined the fraternity was to meet people and become a part of something bigger. He said the reason he chose SigEp was because he thought that it best represented his values and beliefs. He noted that since he became a member his confidence and communication skills have improved immensely, due to experiences he has had participating in Greek life. He also noted that if someone did not follow the goals set by the fraternity they would not last a semester. This shows how serious the members are about the fraternity. While at these events, I began to notice that SigEp members, just like any other discourse community, interacted with each other differently than with me. They always treated each other like family. They would shake hands and hug whenever they met, and would show enthusiasm when talking. Austin even admitted that he would never interact with someone else the way he did with his brothers. Their relationship is simply more personal. This reflects the principals they are founded on. Sigma Phi Epsilon was founded on the three cardinal principals virtue, diligence, and brotherly love. Every brother is expected to display these attributes at all times. Sigma Phi Epsilon also has a goal, separate from the campus requirements. Their goal is to build a balanced man. They want to prepare each member for life after college by giving them leadership skills. Sigma Phi Epsilon is a discourse community on campus all on its own. When a person joins it, they are accepting the new discourse as their own. They must attend the events, wear Greek letters, maintain a good GPA, and always treat their fellow members as family.